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Research resultsTelemetryThe first results of research on brown bears in Slovakia using radio-telemetry were obtained by Polish researchers. In order to measure the size of area used by individual bears (home range), It was found that some of the bears crossed the border into Slovakia. During the years 2000-03 a female in the Tatras used an area of 136 km2, partially in Poland and partially in Slovakia. In just one year, 2004, a male caught in the same mountain range used an area of 170 km2, approximately half of which was in Slovakia. The home range of a very large male bear trapped in Bieszczady National Park was even bigger: in less than a year he roamed over an area of 266 km2. More ...
Non-invasive genetic sampling
In 2005-06 the Slovak Wildlife Society participated in what we believe is the first study of bears in Slovakia to be completed using
Public opinion and knowledge about carnivoresTo help better understand the level of local knowledge and opinions about large carnivores in Slovakia, we commissioned a graduate of the Institute for Wildlife Biology and Game Management in Vienna to help us design and assess a questionnaire survey. We compared the responses of over 1,100 town and village residents, school children, hunters, foresters, shepherds and tourists in two districts, one with lots of carnivores and the other with very few. Secondary school students distributed the questionnaires for us. Some of them did this job with real enthusiasm even though they had to face various attitudes from the respondents. It was a great experience for the students as together we learned about the relations of people to these animals. After they returned their completed questionnaires, respondents were given a leaflet that we prepared containing basic information about bears, wolves and lynx in Slovakia. The survey was carried out from May 2003 to February 2004, funded by the Slovak Wildlife Society’s eco-tourism programme together with the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. More ...
Diet of bears in Slovakia
In order to evaluate the diet of bears living in the Tatra and Fatra Mountains a total of 373 scats (faeces) were collected from March to November 2001-03.
Losses of sheep caused by large carnivoresThe extent and patterns of predation on sheep by large carnivores in 2001-03 were studied on the national, regional and local levels. In August and September we visited 18 of 19 administrative regions with permanent occurrence of bears and wolves and a further two with permanent occurrence of wolves but not bears to determine conditions at sheep farms, losses and antipredator preventive measures. Our results are in accord with several general characteristics of carnivore-livestock conflicts elsewhere in Europe. For example, reported losses were highest in the case of wolves and lowest in the case of lynx. Photograph: P. Kostur |
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